Saturday, November 17, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
I wrote a little letter...
haha... have you heard that one before?
The region women's volleyball tournament is this weekend. That shouldn't matter to me, my team didn't make it into the tournament. (Hallelujah)
Now, we find out that we are in charge of bringing a ref for each team we sent to the tournament.
WHAT?!
It is a "region" tournament. The "region" people should be in charge of that. Ya'd think...!
So, now, I am expected to cancel my Fri. night plans to be there for the tournament to ref (I am the assistant stake sports director) for my stake's team. (found out on Wed night.)
(We won't mention the fact, right here, that I am also expected to be there to ref from 9 a.m. till 8 p.m. on Saturday for the girls tournament. WHAT?!)
I wrote a little letter to the woman in charge of it and suggested that since there were only 3 teams in the women's tournament (yeah.....that's right...... only 3 teams.....and 2 of them are from my stake) that the team that is NOT playing at the time can provide the two refs for the teams that ARE playing since they WILL ALL BE THERE ANY WAY!!! Then I don't have to change my plans to be there while 10 capable ladies sit around and watch.
The stake sports person, over me, told me there was NO way that J. would go for that idea.... and then she proceeded to lay on the serious pressure for me to be there --plans or no plans.
J messaged her right after that pressure call to tell her she liked my idea and she's going with it.
HA!
The girl's tournament is another story. My daughter's team will be there. I will be there to watch my daughter play. While my daughter's team is playing I am expected to be reffing the same time on the OTHER court! So, I won't even get to see her play! Besides the fact that I am committed to be at my rec team's last game at the rec center in the middle of all this and for pictures.
It doesn't make sense to have each team bring a person to ref every two or three hours....... maybe.
Our refs only need to stay to ref if our stake;s teams keep winning.
JEEPS! (short for jeepers) Find 8 capable ladies and have them come for 4 hours each!!!
I had plans for my last warm Saturday. It involved around 10,000 lights on my house!!!!
Nope, each team brings a ref and if there's not a ref, the team does not play.
So, how come it falls on ME? Well, since the guy who accepted the call from the stake presidency to find refs for ALL the sports is new and has not done any of his calling in the last 6 weeks and won't return phone calls to us for help, we have to do it ourselves. Me and DH who is over stake sports.
I kept telling her to call all these other people to do it for us for a couple of hours each, but she wouldn't. So, I found someone to come do it for me while I was at the rec center. Now, DH is expecting me to split the difference!!!
WHAT?!
I found someone to take 3 of my 8-10 hours; she refused to, and now I am supposed to take part of hers to make up for it? Every time I tried to explain my position, I found her talking right over the top of me. So frustrating.
Another thing:
Every girl in this tournament has played on halfsies courts. Now that we are in a playoff situation, the guy in charge of it all ??? has scheduled for them to play on full sized courts.
WHAT?
They can barely cover the holes in a halfsies court. They don't even know to move to the ball.....
This should be interesting.
Now, I remember why I have avoided church sports for the past 8 years.
The region women's volleyball tournament is this weekend. That shouldn't matter to me, my team didn't make it into the tournament. (Hallelujah)
Now, we find out that we are in charge of bringing a ref for each team we sent to the tournament.
WHAT?!
It is a "region" tournament. The "region" people should be in charge of that. Ya'd think...!
So, now, I am expected to cancel my Fri. night plans to be there for the tournament to ref (I am the assistant stake sports director) for my stake's team. (found out on Wed night.)
(We won't mention the fact, right here, that I am also expected to be there to ref from 9 a.m. till 8 p.m. on Saturday for the girls tournament. WHAT?!)
I wrote a little letter to the woman in charge of it and suggested that since there were only 3 teams in the women's tournament (yeah.....that's right...... only 3 teams.....and 2 of them are from my stake) that the team that is NOT playing at the time can provide the two refs for the teams that ARE playing since they WILL ALL BE THERE ANY WAY!!! Then I don't have to change my plans to be there while 10 capable ladies sit around and watch.
The stake sports person, over me, told me there was NO way that J. would go for that idea.... and then she proceeded to lay on the serious pressure for me to be there --plans or no plans.
J messaged her right after that pressure call to tell her she liked my idea and she's going with it.
HA!
The girl's tournament is another story. My daughter's team will be there. I will be there to watch my daughter play. While my daughter's team is playing I am expected to be reffing the same time on the OTHER court! So, I won't even get to see her play! Besides the fact that I am committed to be at my rec team's last game at the rec center in the middle of all this and for pictures.
It doesn't make sense to have each team bring a person to ref every two or three hours....... maybe.
Our refs only need to stay to ref if our stake;s teams keep winning.
JEEPS! (short for jeepers) Find 8 capable ladies and have them come for 4 hours each!!!
I had plans for my last warm Saturday. It involved around 10,000 lights on my house!!!!
Nope, each team brings a ref and if there's not a ref, the team does not play.
So, how come it falls on ME? Well, since the guy who accepted the call from the stake presidency to find refs for ALL the sports is new and has not done any of his calling in the last 6 weeks and won't return phone calls to us for help, we have to do it ourselves. Me and DH who is over stake sports.
I kept telling her to call all these other people to do it for us for a couple of hours each, but she wouldn't. So, I found someone to come do it for me while I was at the rec center. Now, DH is expecting me to split the difference!!!
WHAT?!
I found someone to take 3 of my 8-10 hours; she refused to, and now I am supposed to take part of hers to make up for it? Every time I tried to explain my position, I found her talking right over the top of me. So frustrating.
Another thing:
Every girl in this tournament has played on halfsies courts. Now that we are in a playoff situation, the guy in charge of it all ??? has scheduled for them to play on full sized courts.
WHAT?
They can barely cover the holes in a halfsies court. They don't even know to move to the ball.....
This should be interesting.
Now, I remember why I have avoided church sports for the past 8 years.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Something's wrong with my ward.
It seems to be cursed with WAY too much tragedy.
Diabetes death of 14-yr-old, cancer death of 45-yr-old, suicide of 16-yr-old, auto-pedestrian-near-death of 16-yr-old accident, divorce, now murder?
My dear friend, Madelin, died early Halloween morning.
I was so busy with the final details of my Halloween frenzy that I did not notice the police cars flying by my house just before 9 am.
http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20121031/NEWS01/121031001/Man-charged-killing-his-wife?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage
.
I had my Halloween makeup done perfectly.
My fake eye lashes were beautiful and it was easier than I thought it would be to put them on for the first time.
My face was a perfect shade of pale white.
I checked online at 4:00 p.m. to see what my character's eye shadow should look like.
Facebook is set to come up on the screen.
The local news on a facebook page mentioned a murder in my area of town.
My curiosity peeked.
As I read further, the article mentioned that it took place in my subdivision.
I have lived in this subdivision long enough to know every 76 -yr-old, so I searched the article for any names. It didn't have any.
I went straight to the page where it shows the jail bookings in my county, and there he was...
I knew immediately that it was Madelin that had been killed.
I dialed up my visiting teacher companion to get more info. My vt comp. had found out about it that morning about as soon as the next door neighbors had. She was with the bishop's wife, (the neighbors were trying to get a hold of the bishop) and felt the info was confidential.
I feel kind of betrayed.
I am Madelin's visiting teacher, and no one let me know of this situation earlier.
I had to find out about it on facebook....
I bawled for almost an hour. Uncontrollably.
My kids just stood and watched the mess happen.
My eye lashes slid off my face and eventually got lost.
I had streaks of mascara in every direction across my white make up.
I had to start over with all of it, and the makeup would not stick, cause I could not stop crying.
I enjoyed being her visiting teacher WAY more than I should have.
I hung on every word she said. I soaked it all in like a sponge. I wanted to hear more, more, more. She loved to talk about her wonderful life and her 6 amazing sons, and I loved listening to her stories.
She bragged as much about her husband as she did about her kids.
He has a tremendous talent for carving wood and has an overabundance of it all over their home. He was always in the "office" working on something whenever we would come over to visit teach. He would always tease us for our imperfections such as not being on time.
They seemed happy. As happy as an older couple could be that didn't live amongst their kids and grandkids.
Their offspring was scattered around the world. They are all multimillionaires and did it without college degrees.
One of Madelin's sons invented the Crikut crafting tool.
One of her son's is part owner of several casinos in Las Vegas.
Madelin would always scoop up a pile of homemade beanie lizards for Kamarie to play with while we were there. "Kids don't have to sit still in MY house," she told me last week. She always made sure toys were aplenty for Kams.
She was a very happy, fun-loving person. I could tell she loved me just by watching her eyes as she greeted me. She was teaching me so much about life and raising kids. I wished I could visit every week instead of every month.
Her gaze and her smile will forever haunt my thoughts as this was a life cut short way before it's time.
I don't get it. That's why I am still awake at 2 a.m.
They walked our neighborhood holding hands twice a day. They had served a service mission at a girl's camp a year or so ago, and they had stayed in a big 5th wheel camp trailer. They were gonna sell it since they weren't gonna be using it much any more; I don't remember why. But, she gave me a bunch of little pots, spatulas, and misc. kitchen items out of her trailer to use in mine. Treasures to me now.
Last month, they had two sets of family members visit their house at the same time. She was bragging how she fit 14 people in her little house at once.
Rumors are saying he was struggling with depression and or dementia. He always seemed normal and fine to me. He always asked me point blank how work was for my husband. He didn't ask just to be nice, he really wanted to know. He used to own large construction companies. I think they even built churches. He knows what a construction life is, and he could relate to ours. He even would give me advice on certain things about work, too.
Hubby reminded me that when they built their house, that Hubby was the one who did the concrete for them. There is a LOT of concrete at that house.
The picture of him at his booking, I don't know that guy. I've never seen that guy. I've never heard of that guy that killed his wife. Him killing his wife would be akin to my Hubby killing me. It just isn't in their being. It couldn't have been him that did it. It had to be something else. Like a chemical reaction in his brain to maybe something he was taking to make him be better.
I know that she was all he had. At least here in town. I am guessing that he will never recover from this. I am guessing that he realizes what he has done- that he took her away from him himself. I don't know how a person can live with that in their mind. He will be sooo extremely lonely without her, and it was his own doing. How can he face the ward members ever again? I can't be mad at him. All I can feel for him is sorrow. Extreme sorrow.
He lived such a legacy of a life. So many good things accomplished. It is sad that this is what people will remember him by, and describe him by.
She made crafts and sold them in mail order catalogues most of her life and used the money to pay for 6 missions. Some of those missions back in the day were pricey like Japan. She sewed her own clothes. She made collections of toys for her grandkids.
Everyone loved Madelin. I didn't know her super well, we were just put into this ward a year ago. I have only been her VT for almost a year. I knew her a bit when we were in the same ward 8 years ago, but I don't remember much from 8 years ago. I do know that I hung on every word she spoke. I wanted to learn from her every thing I could. She was BRILLIANT!
Diabetes death of 14-yr-old, cancer death of 45-yr-old, suicide of 16-yr-old, auto-pedestrian-near-death of 16-yr-old accident, divorce, now murder?
My dear friend, Madelin, died early Halloween morning.
I was so busy with the final details of my Halloween frenzy that I did not notice the police cars flying by my house just before 9 am.
Neighbors watch as Washington City Police investigate a homicide at 2188 Alamosa Drive Wednesday. David Benson, 76, was arrested for first-degree murder after his wife was found dead inside their home. / Jud Burkett / The Spectrum & Daily News
A 76-year-old Washington City man was arrested and charged with first-degree murder Wednesday morning after his wife was found dead in their Pine View Estates home at 2188 Alamosa Drive.
A Washington City Police Department press release said the woman died from “trauma inflicted with a blunt object.”
David Benson was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility on $500,000 bond. Public records list his wife as Madeline Benson.
The call reporting the incident was initially made at about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday by a family member who was not in the home at the time of the incident, said Ed Kantor, Washington City Police Department public information officer.
Washington City officers stood guard at the home while detectives and Washington County Deputy Attorney Brian Filter investigated the scene.
Neighbors in the area told The Spectrum the Bensons are long-time residents in the neighborhood and described them as “kind and friendly.”
"He was protective of her and he's had some struggles and couldn't get on top of it," Brittney Rivers said. "Withhold judgment because they are great people and this doesn't need to be their legacy. Now I just think about how to tell our children."
Rivers said they were seen regularly in the neighborhood. "They would walk around twice a day holding hands," she said.
Neighbor Shelly Kirton described them as “very thoughtful people (who would) go out of their way to help others."
Several neighbors in the area told The Spectrum they believed the cause for Benson’s alleged behavior could be related to an adverse reaction to medications he may have been on at the time.
http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20121031/NEWS01/121031001/Man-charged-killing-his-wife?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage
.
I had my Halloween makeup done perfectly.
My fake eye lashes were beautiful and it was easier than I thought it would be to put them on for the first time.
My face was a perfect shade of pale white.
I checked online at 4:00 p.m. to see what my character's eye shadow should look like.
Facebook is set to come up on the screen.
The local news on a facebook page mentioned a murder in my area of town.
My curiosity peeked.
As I read further, the article mentioned that it took place in my subdivision.
I have lived in this subdivision long enough to know every 76 -yr-old, so I searched the article for any names. It didn't have any.
I went straight to the page where it shows the jail bookings in my county, and there he was...
I knew immediately that it was Madelin that had been killed.
I dialed up my visiting teacher companion to get more info. My vt comp. had found out about it that morning about as soon as the next door neighbors had. She was with the bishop's wife, (the neighbors were trying to get a hold of the bishop) and felt the info was confidential.
I feel kind of betrayed.
I am Madelin's visiting teacher, and no one let me know of this situation earlier.
I had to find out about it on facebook....
I bawled for almost an hour. Uncontrollably.
My kids just stood and watched the mess happen.
My eye lashes slid off my face and eventually got lost.
I had streaks of mascara in every direction across my white make up.
I had to start over with all of it, and the makeup would not stick, cause I could not stop crying.
I enjoyed being her visiting teacher WAY more than I should have.
I hung on every word she said. I soaked it all in like a sponge. I wanted to hear more, more, more. She loved to talk about her wonderful life and her 6 amazing sons, and I loved listening to her stories.
She bragged as much about her husband as she did about her kids.
He has a tremendous talent for carving wood and has an overabundance of it all over their home. He was always in the "office" working on something whenever we would come over to visit teach. He would always tease us for our imperfections such as not being on time.
They seemed happy. As happy as an older couple could be that didn't live amongst their kids and grandkids.
Their offspring was scattered around the world. They are all multimillionaires and did it without college degrees.
One of Madelin's sons invented the Crikut crafting tool.
One of her son's is part owner of several casinos in Las Vegas.
Madelin would always scoop up a pile of homemade beanie lizards for Kamarie to play with while we were there. "Kids don't have to sit still in MY house," she told me last week. She always made sure toys were aplenty for Kams.
She was a very happy, fun-loving person. I could tell she loved me just by watching her eyes as she greeted me. She was teaching me so much about life and raising kids. I wished I could visit every week instead of every month.
Her gaze and her smile will forever haunt my thoughts as this was a life cut short way before it's time.
I don't get it. That's why I am still awake at 2 a.m.
They walked our neighborhood holding hands twice a day. They had served a service mission at a girl's camp a year or so ago, and they had stayed in a big 5th wheel camp trailer. They were gonna sell it since they weren't gonna be using it much any more; I don't remember why. But, she gave me a bunch of little pots, spatulas, and misc. kitchen items out of her trailer to use in mine. Treasures to me now.
Last month, they had two sets of family members visit their house at the same time. She was bragging how she fit 14 people in her little house at once.
Rumors are saying he was struggling with depression and or dementia. He always seemed normal and fine to me. He always asked me point blank how work was for my husband. He didn't ask just to be nice, he really wanted to know. He used to own large construction companies. I think they even built churches. He knows what a construction life is, and he could relate to ours. He even would give me advice on certain things about work, too.
Hubby reminded me that when they built their house, that Hubby was the one who did the concrete for them. There is a LOT of concrete at that house.
The picture of him at his booking, I don't know that guy. I've never seen that guy. I've never heard of that guy that killed his wife. Him killing his wife would be akin to my Hubby killing me. It just isn't in their being. It couldn't have been him that did it. It had to be something else. Like a chemical reaction in his brain to maybe something he was taking to make him be better.
I know that she was all he had. At least here in town. I am guessing that he will never recover from this. I am guessing that he realizes what he has done- that he took her away from him himself. I don't know how a person can live with that in their mind. He will be sooo extremely lonely without her, and it was his own doing. How can he face the ward members ever again? I can't be mad at him. All I can feel for him is sorrow. Extreme sorrow.
He lived such a legacy of a life. So many good things accomplished. It is sad that this is what people will remember him by, and describe him by.
She made crafts and sold them in mail order catalogues most of her life and used the money to pay for 6 missions. Some of those missions back in the day were pricey like Japan. She sewed her own clothes. She made collections of toys for her grandkids.
Everyone loved Madelin. I didn't know her super well, we were just put into this ward a year ago. I have only been her VT for almost a year. I knew her a bit when we were in the same ward 8 years ago, but I don't remember much from 8 years ago. I do know that I hung on every word she spoke. I wanted to learn from her every thing I could. She was BRILLIANT!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
I LOVE HOW MUCH MONEY GOOGLE SAVES ME!
This post could be continued several times every month.
This time, however, I fixed my cruise control for $18.21.
Yes, that's right, I , I , I fixed it.
Well, me and Mr. Google.
I refused to take another trip in my 5 year old Suburban if the
cruise control did not work.
I was needed to help drive the cheer team to the state playoffs for football, so there were some
things that needed to be done: oil changed, tires rotated, evidence of 7 children cleaned out, but
most importantly, the cruise fixed!
I found a forum where the people were talking about the cruise control not working on this year of Suburban, and some of them said to try checking the brake light switch.
I knew ours was having problems for years, cause the trailer brake
we have in it has a light that stays on all the time.
I took Kams and we went to the Chevy store and bought the part
the "forum" had said to buy.
Hubby switched out the part, and I couldn't wait to try it out.
Hubby also did all the other "honey do's" on the list.
In the morning, I got a phone call telling me to bring my little car instead.
HA!
I had to wait an extra day to even find out if the new switch fixed
my cruise control.
It did!!!
I can't be a happy driver without my cruise control and that's that.
Hubby wanted to take over driving on our last long trip to Logan, cause I
was too tired to drive.
He thought I was too tired to drive, cause I couldn't keep the car on the road.
I explained to him that it is impossible for me to keep it on the road when
I have to look down at the speedometer every 20 seconds to see how fast
I am going (late at night with no one to follow.)
Up a hill down a hill up a hill down a hill....
You know how it is in Utah....
Yay for Google, and yay for cruise control.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
HalloweenJunkie dot blogspot
I made a new site for my Halloween projects and their detailed instructions.
I did this so everyone on pinterest doesn't visit my family's adventures/gossip column site.
So, if you feel like you want to see more pics of the mausoleum in progress, check out my halloweenjunkie site.
Candy Corn Creations! HA! I think it's a funny title! Cause seriously, I am sooo creative sometimes. Unfortunately, it really is a "seasonal" creativity that only comes once a year.
I did this so everyone on pinterest doesn't visit my family's adventures/gossip column site.
So, if you feel like you want to see more pics of the mausoleum in progress, check out my halloweenjunkie site.
Candy Corn Creations! HA! I think it's a funny title! Cause seriously, I am sooo creative sometimes. Unfortunately, it really is a "seasonal" creativity that only comes once a year.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
My Mausoleum !!!! It's Done!!!
It's a little overwhelming to look at.
A little confusing: like you don't know where to look first.
But, I am happy with it.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Found some skeletons in Cedar--still sooo close.....
Some more snipits
to drive my sister crazy...
This was the most fun part.
Stinky, but fun.
I used a soldering iron to carve names into the foam.
Works like a hot knife through butter.
Painted them all at once the first round.
Tricked the kids into thinking it was fun to paint the cut out letters. haha not fun.
There were A LOT of letters to paint.
Cutting the "stickum".
My favorite picture of the entire project!!!
See if you can guess what the HECK I am doing....
NO WAY YOU GUESSED IT !! I will tell you in a minute....
Don't use E 6000 on foam, haha, it EATS it right away!!!
This is construction adhesive for $2 at Wally's World.
Then, I had to "age" them...
Then, I had to garnish a few of them....
I have to wait for the glue to dry on the skeletons,
and I had to make a giant fake sucker.
Otherwise,
I am soooo close
to the big
"reveal".
Haha,
of course if you live in my town all you have to do is
DRIVE BY!
Oh, yeah, what was I doing?
I was boiling my magnets! hahahahahha
Whoduhthunkit?
Hubbies idea.
The
magnets were sooo old and bent from being rolled up so long,
that they would not relax enough to sit flat on metal surfaces
and would not work.
So, I heated them in boiling water for 10 seconds
and stuck them on my fridge and smoothed them out.
Worked
Like
MAGIC!!!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Sooo Close!
Every part of my "this year's project" has been fairly easy.
Time consuming.
But, easy.
I am sooo close to being done!
I am having a hard time finding very-cheap, small skeletons.
(That's one of my requirements of projects.
Each part has to be very cheap.
There are usually several parts to each project, so if it's not very cheap, it can get pricey in a hurry.
If I wanted pricey, I would buy it already made in a store.
How much fun is that? NONE! )
(But then again, this particular project can't be bought in stores!!!! )
Each part has to be very cheap.
There are usually several parts to each project, so if it's not very cheap, it can get pricey in a hurry.
If I wanted pricey, I would buy it already made in a store.
How much fun is that? NONE! )
(But then again, this particular project can't be bought in stores!!!! )
Okay, here is a little snipit of what I'm attempting.
IF THE DOLLAR STORE HAD NOT RUN OUT OF
SKELETONS SO FAST.........!!!
I made 32 tiles.
YEP,
that IS a lot!!!
Some of my tiles are SOOO stinkin cute, you'll be proud of me if you ever get to see them.
(Especially since I only get the "creative bug"
once each year-
some time between Aug and Oct 31.
I'm not sure the whole concept will work,
I'm not even sure my "stickum" will hold them on the garage door,
I'm not sure where I will store them from year to year.
Oops, guess I should've thought that one through...
I have to go to Cedar for 3 volleyball games plus drive time!
That's gonna take my whole stinkin' day.
One
of these days
my project will make it to the OUT doors.
I
just wish
I could find some cheap skeletons
or bones!
I'm sooo close!
Horse Shoes
Kauri: Mom do you have any horshews in that bag of mixed nuts?
Mom: Do you mean cashews?
Kauri: Yes! I LOVE those!
Mom: Do you mean cashews?
Kauri: Yes! I LOVE those!
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Record Is Only 35!
Guinness was in Texas 3 days ago to record a 16 yr old girl setting the world record in back flipping. She had to beat 32. She did 35!
WHAT???
Kyson had already planned to do 35 at the next home game at Utah State!!!
He wasn't going for the most flips, he just wanted to go 100 yards!!!!
Certain people have promised him $100 to go 100 yards.
I
am
telling
you
right
now
that
I WILL MATCH THAT $100 TO SEE HIM GO 100 YARDS!!!!!!!
Heck, I might even pay for his last 3 months of cell
phone bill (which is more than $100 for sure.)
The next home game is on Oct. 20.
It might be the last time to try this before it gets tooooo cold.
Now, if I could just figure out
how
to get
Guinness there, so
Kyson could get a free t shirt as well....
oh, yeah, and the record.
Even if holding a record might only be for a week or so
before someone else breaks it.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
A Laugh A Minute
My family is watching Mirror Mirror. So far, they are enjoying it a LOT.
It is rated PG and stars Julia Roberts.
All my big kids are laughing every few seconds, including Hubby.
It is rated PG and stars Julia Roberts.
All my big kids are laughing every few seconds, including Hubby.
Grape Leaf Skeletonizer
Yesterday, I noticed we have found these things crawling out of our lawn out back.
Oh, great, they might be killing my lawn.
Nope, not that I know of.
But, when I found them crawling out of my lawn out front today and all over my house, I had 5 kids come outside and kill about 25 a piece. didn't even make a dent.
I went to the side of the house to see how far they went around my house.
I noticed right away that my 8 ft by 10 ft of grapvines were completely dead,
and it was crawling with these stupid caterpillars.
I had my kids come out and squish some more. They each squished about 100 and so did I.
That's nearly 600 of these gross things, and we didn't even make a dent in what is out there!!!!!
I made a phone call to Grandpa Kay to find out what they are,
and he'll come over tomorrow and spray them.
Yay, for Grandpa Kay!!!
(He is the bonus grandpa my kids got after Hubby's mom got remarried.
Before him, my kids had NO grandpas left.)
This is not what my vine looks like:
Mine don't have any green on them any more.
I
am so ready for them to be gone.
They killed my grapevines in just a couple of days!!!
According to a site I visited,
it says the hairs on these critters is irritating to the skin and will sting
and will cause welts.
Hubby thought one of them had bitten him, because of the big welt it left on him.
According to a site I visited,
it says the hairs on these critters is irritating to the skin and will sting
and will cause welts.
Hubby thought one of them had bitten him, because of the big welt it left on him.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
It Took One Letter!
More than one of my kids have come home from intermediate school frustrated over the school lunch procedure!
Kinzie was so frustrated by the 2nd week, she was almost in tears.
She is upstairs for her class before lunch and she has 2nd lunch. This means that she is often at the end of the line and they often run out of what she wants for lunch. The first time they ran out of her choice, they simply grabbed pizza from the other line and put it in the line she was already in.
The next time, she waited for 10 minutes in a line, they ran out so she had to get in another line to wait for another 10 minutes. By then, she didn't have enough time to enjoy her lunch, cause she had to hurry. she does not like to eat fast.
Four times in a week they ran out of her choice for lunch.
I wrote a little letter to the principal. :)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi,
I thought I might just make a suggestion for your school lunch time. My kids almost always seem to be upstairs just before lunch and have to spend a good amount of time in the lunch line.
My daughter has had 2 days in a row of not getting what she wants because they have run out of her choice (she has 2nd lunch) just as she gets up to the front of the line. Yesterday, they just brought pizza up to the "hamburger line" when they ran out of hamburgers, and she didn't have to wait in a second line. Today, she had to wait in one line, and when it ran out, she had to go wait in another line. She says it was like 20 minutes waiting in lines. Then, she didn't have much time left to eat lunch (slow eater.) I'm sure she is not the only kid at the school getting frustrated with the waiting and not getting her choice. (I have had other kids come home frustrated with the lunch line in years' past.) Some kids would just like a chance to hang out with friends during lunch and don't have much time to do that when they spend most of it in a lunch line.
My suggestion is this: On odd numbered days on the calendar, let the kids upstairs get out of class 1 minute early for lunch. Or even a week at a time. This would allow for those kids to have the opportunity to get to the lunch line first and have some chances to get what they want without having to wait, wait, wait everyday. It would make these kids less frustrated knowing that they will have a fair chance to get to the front of the line sometimes.
I did this when I drove the school bus. Every other day the boys got to get on the bus first. It cut down on the frustration for the kids knowing that they would get their turn to be first.
I think my suggestion is a great one, and I hope you will consider it.
Thank you,
(signed my name)
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The principal wrote me back and said they monitor the lunch process to make sure it is working and meet about it to discuss improvements. He would take my idea to the "meeting". I never heard back from him.
Kinzie informed me today that today was the 4th "even" day that the upstairs classes have gotten out 4 minutes early for lunch!
YAY!!!!
I love it when I have a good idea and other people think so too, enough so that they implement it and change the frustration level of 200 kids and just as many helpless parents.
Monday, August 27, 2012
PR... has it really almost been a year?
Something I read this morning made me mad. So, I totally took advantage of the motivation! LOL
I ran 3.5 MILES without stopping, walking, drinking, dying.....
My last 5K on my treadmill was almost a year ago?
Even when I was 110 lbs running a 7:12 mile at age 12, running has always been hard for me.
I have always wished I loved it, cause people that LOVE it are
SKINNY!!!!!
lol
oh, well. at least I ran today.
I ran 3.5 MILES without stopping, walking, drinking, dying.....
My last 5K on my treadmill was almost a year ago?
Even when I was 110 lbs running a 7:12 mile at age 12, running has always been hard for me.
I have always wished I loved it, cause people that LOVE it are
SKINNY!!!!!
lol
oh, well. at least I ran today.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
LARYNGOSPASM--A near-death experience!
(Author's note: I wrote this in March 2012, but forgot to publish it.)
The scariest word I have encountered is one I just learned.
The first time I had one was when I was 8 months pregnant with my first child almost 18 years ago.
I was eating lunch with the co-workers and something went down the wrong pipe.
I could tell I was choking, so to avoid embarrassment, I took off to the restroom.
Everytime I coughed, air would go out, but I could not suck air back in.
I still had the sensation of "down the wrond tube" so the desire to cough was still strong.
I had no idea what was going on.
I was squeaking, almost like a wheezing sound, while I tried to suck in enough air to cough out the sensation in the airway.
I tried bending over, didn't help.
I leaned over the sink, didn't help.
I tried breathing slowly, didn't help.
Not just a little squeaking, but a panicky, holy cow, are you dying, type of a sound with every breath.
Well, "every breath" takes about 30 seconds of wheezing in order to get enough air to make a 1/10 cough effort. Then, after I coughed a little bit, my throat would shut down even more.
Then repeat the cycle, 10 more times on my first occasion within 5-10 minutes.
It seems nearly impossible to relax in this situation, since I feel like I am suffocating to death.
Scary is putting it mildly. Especially since at 8 months pregnant, it's hard enough to breath anyway.
I think I finally realized that if I quit trying to breathe, then breathed in as slowly as I could, it was barely easier to get air in.
I suppressed the need to cough, since that started the episode all over again.
Funny thing, when I finally finished with my episode and wandered back to where my co-workers were, they wondered why I had run off to choke. Ha, they knew I was choking and none of them had even come to check and see if I was okay.
It is impossible to explain to a doctor what happened in order for him to figure it out. "I am choking on saliva?"
It has happened to me while I drank water and swallowed down the wrong tube. Almost every time.
It has happened while I dozed off in a recliner chair in a mostly sitting position. This one is common for me.
It has happened at the lake after I have crashed while kneeboarding.
It has happened to me while taking the sacrament. That one about scared two bishopric members to death as I ducked into their office to avoid the stares of everyone in the halls and foyer. Mind you, the gasping for air sounds are NOT quiet. Loud screechy, squeaky, asthma attack sounds.
It has happened while I tried to laugh at a joke. I have to suck in air quickly to release a laugh which sends mist off my saliva into my throat triggering an attack.
It has happened while eating a cookie covered in powdered sugar.
It has happened when I have eaten grapes or watermelon since biting them will send juice squirting down my throat before I am ready for it to.
It has happened at the pool while I try to swim laps. You see, even the smallest of particles of mist will trigger an episode, and when you take a breath while swimming, every breath has mist in it. I have since stopped trying to swim; maybe I could use a snorkel, but definitely have to swim in one of the end lanes in case I need to jump out to get air. Can you imagine the lifeguards trying to rescue me when my throat is clamped shut from the inside? And they have no idea that I am not even choking on water?
The last time it happened to me was the worst so far. It was only 2 weeks ago. My spasm was so strong that I couldn't even get a squeak through. It was shut as if with a clamp. I couldn't even cough out. A particle of saliva got misted into my throat, and I coughed hard, as anyone would, to get it out. But by doing so, as in every other time this has happened, I coughed with all my might to get it out of my throat. Thus, releasing every bit of air that I needed to sustain me through an episode. I know that I have to relax in order for the spasm to stop, but it is hard to relax when I can't hold my breath any longer, and I know the spasm is not even close to releasing. Hubby was sitting right there when it happened, so I knew he would revive me if I pass out, but this time it was so spasmed shut that he had a hard time convincing me to stop panicking.
As my spasm started releasing, my kids came running from every room in the house to see if I was dying. They all stood there watching me struggle for a breath. How scary for them!
Try this as an example for relaxing. I mean it, you have to try this. Let out all your breath, all of it, wait 10 seconds. How do you feel? Like you will die if you don't take in air immediately? Now think of it as: you know that you can't take in air till the spasm stops which might not be for 10-20 more seconds. Now, try to RELAX!
At the very slightest of relaxation in my throat, my body will insist on sucking in the air which then produces the loud squeaking noise, much like letting the air out of a balloon when the end is squeazed shut.
After getting so curious as to look it up on google, I finally found a name for it. Everyone who has these is just as baffled as I am.
Some doctors think it is related to acid reflux. I have acid reflux only after eating a combination of a big greasy meal followed by a high fat dessert. ie: a hamburger with grilled onions and a milkshake or D.O. potatoes and homemade ice cream. (Which I don't do anymore, now that I know what triggers it, since that is more intense PAIN than any meds can touch (unless it is a leftover narco pill from a dental visit)which is another story for another day.) So, my spasms don't have anything to do with acid.
Laryngospasm is also common for patients as they are coming out of anesthesia.
Which isn't me either.
But, that would be a good name for a humorous, barbershop-type of
singing group made up of CRN Anesthetists. :) HaHa it IS a group. You'll have to google them. Try Laryngospasms. With an s. Maybe even try youtube if you have time. I especially like the song about hemorrhoids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xavluTezTnU&feature=related
I actually like most of their songs, as I can relate to Breathe quite well.
CO2 is high, I think you're going to DIE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP2OuZ_vI_s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOrjcLJ2IE0&feature=related
I have heard laryngospasm referred to in a magazine article as "dry drowning." I think they are pretty much the same thing. But laryngospasm is more descriptive of what is happening. So, laryngospasm it is.
Hopefully, you'll never have to experience this near-death experience, but at least now you know what it is.
The scariest word I have encountered is one I just learned.
The first time I had one was when I was 8 months pregnant with my first child almost 18 years ago.
I was eating lunch with the co-workers and something went down the wrong pipe.
I could tell I was choking, so to avoid embarrassment, I took off to the restroom.
Everytime I coughed, air would go out, but I could not suck air back in.
I still had the sensation of "down the wrond tube" so the desire to cough was still strong.
I had no idea what was going on.
I was squeaking, almost like a wheezing sound, while I tried to suck in enough air to cough out the sensation in the airway.
I tried bending over, didn't help.
I leaned over the sink, didn't help.
I tried breathing slowly, didn't help.
Not just a little squeaking, but a panicky, holy cow, are you dying, type of a sound with every breath.
Well, "every breath" takes about 30 seconds of wheezing in order to get enough air to make a 1/10 cough effort. Then, after I coughed a little bit, my throat would shut down even more.
Then repeat the cycle, 10 more times on my first occasion within 5-10 minutes.
It seems nearly impossible to relax in this situation, since I feel like I am suffocating to death.
Scary is putting it mildly. Especially since at 8 months pregnant, it's hard enough to breath anyway.
I think I finally realized that if I quit trying to breathe, then breathed in as slowly as I could, it was barely easier to get air in.
I suppressed the need to cough, since that started the episode all over again.
Funny thing, when I finally finished with my episode and wandered back to where my co-workers were, they wondered why I had run off to choke. Ha, they knew I was choking and none of them had even come to check and see if I was okay.
It is impossible to explain to a doctor what happened in order for him to figure it out. "I am choking on saliva?"
It has happened to me while I drank water and swallowed down the wrong tube. Almost every time.
It has happened while I dozed off in a recliner chair in a mostly sitting position. This one is common for me.
It has happened at the lake after I have crashed while kneeboarding.
It has happened to me while taking the sacrament. That one about scared two bishopric members to death as I ducked into their office to avoid the stares of everyone in the halls and foyer. Mind you, the gasping for air sounds are NOT quiet. Loud screechy, squeaky, asthma attack sounds.
It has happened while I tried to laugh at a joke. I have to suck in air quickly to release a laugh which sends mist off my saliva into my throat triggering an attack.
It has happened while eating a cookie covered in powdered sugar.
It has happened when I have eaten grapes or watermelon since biting them will send juice squirting down my throat before I am ready for it to.
It has happened at the pool while I try to swim laps. You see, even the smallest of particles of mist will trigger an episode, and when you take a breath while swimming, every breath has mist in it. I have since stopped trying to swim; maybe I could use a snorkel, but definitely have to swim in one of the end lanes in case I need to jump out to get air. Can you imagine the lifeguards trying to rescue me when my throat is clamped shut from the inside? And they have no idea that I am not even choking on water?
The last time it happened to me was the worst so far. It was only 2 weeks ago. My spasm was so strong that I couldn't even get a squeak through. It was shut as if with a clamp. I couldn't even cough out. A particle of saliva got misted into my throat, and I coughed hard, as anyone would, to get it out. But by doing so, as in every other time this has happened, I coughed with all my might to get it out of my throat. Thus, releasing every bit of air that I needed to sustain me through an episode. I know that I have to relax in order for the spasm to stop, but it is hard to relax when I can't hold my breath any longer, and I know the spasm is not even close to releasing. Hubby was sitting right there when it happened, so I knew he would revive me if I pass out, but this time it was so spasmed shut that he had a hard time convincing me to stop panicking.
As my spasm started releasing, my kids came running from every room in the house to see if I was dying. They all stood there watching me struggle for a breath. How scary for them!
Try this as an example for relaxing. I mean it, you have to try this. Let out all your breath, all of it, wait 10 seconds. How do you feel? Like you will die if you don't take in air immediately? Now think of it as: you know that you can't take in air till the spasm stops which might not be for 10-20 more seconds. Now, try to RELAX!
At the very slightest of relaxation in my throat, my body will insist on sucking in the air which then produces the loud squeaking noise, much like letting the air out of a balloon when the end is squeazed shut.
After getting so curious as to look it up on google, I finally found a name for it. Everyone who has these is just as baffled as I am.
Some doctors think it is related to acid reflux. I have acid reflux only after eating a combination of a big greasy meal followed by a high fat dessert. ie: a hamburger with grilled onions and a milkshake or D.O. potatoes and homemade ice cream. (Which I don't do anymore, now that I know what triggers it, since that is more intense PAIN than any meds can touch (unless it is a leftover narco pill from a dental visit)which is another story for another day.) So, my spasms don't have anything to do with acid.
Laryngospasm is also common for patients as they are coming out of anesthesia.
Which isn't me either.
But, that would be a good name for a humorous, barbershop-type of
singing group made up of CRN Anesthetists. :) HaHa it IS a group. You'll have to google them. Try Laryngospasms. With an s. Maybe even try youtube if you have time. I especially like the song about hemorrhoids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xavluTezTnU&feature=related
I actually like most of their songs, as I can relate to Breathe quite well.
CO2 is high, I think you're going to DIE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP2OuZ_vI_s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOrjcLJ2IE0&feature=related
I have heard laryngospasm referred to in a magazine article as "dry drowning." I think they are pretty much the same thing. But laryngospasm is more descriptive of what is happening. So, laryngospasm it is.
Hopefully, you'll never have to experience this near-death experience, but at least now you know what it is.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
rio Chicken tacos
For my record, so I can make it again:
Frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts, as many as will fit in the crock pot.
A cup or so of picante sauce.
A large can of green chili enchilada sauce.
Half teaspoon of cumin and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
I cooked it on high till church was over. 3-4 hours.
We put it on "cook it yourself" tortillas.
I added lime juice and cilantro to mine, cause weird people in my family don't like cilantro.
Cheese
Shredded lettuce
Ranch dressing
Olives
Tomatoes
Make enough tortillas for seconds.
Oops, I forgot to add salt....
okay, so it tastes good with salty tortilla chips, too.
Frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts, as many as will fit in the crock pot.
A cup or so of picante sauce.
A large can of green chili enchilada sauce.
Half teaspoon of cumin and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
I cooked it on high till church was over. 3-4 hours.
We put it on "cook it yourself" tortillas.
I added lime juice and cilantro to mine, cause weird people in my family don't like cilantro.
Cheese
Shredded lettuce
Ranch dressing
Olives
Tomatoes
Make enough tortillas for seconds.
Oops, I forgot to add salt....
okay, so it tastes good with salty tortilla chips, too.
cafe rio pork
I am putting this on here for my own record,
so I remember how to make it later.
I didn't use chicken broth or coke, and I didn't soak it overnight, and it turned out pretty darn good.
I usually just use 1 cup of salsa and 1 cup of brown sugar and put it all in a crock pot. This time it seemed a lot sweet, so I searched for a recipe to offset the sweetness and found this one.
It needed the cayenne pepper for sure and the cumin was a good touch as well....
I didn't use chicken broth or coke, and I didn't soak it overnight, and it turned out pretty darn good.
I usually just use 1 cup of salsa and 1 cup of brown sugar and put it all in a crock pot. This time it seemed a lot sweet, so I searched for a recipe to offset the sweetness and found this one.
It needed the cayenne pepper for sure and the cumin was a good touch as well....
Cafe Rio Pulled Pork
Submitted by: GOLEAN@38
Number of Servings: 12
Ingredients
31/2-4 lb pork roast
2 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp red cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 can coke
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 small onions, chopped
SAVE NOW
1 cup brown sugar
Save Now
2 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp red cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 can coke
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 small onions, chopped
SAVE NOW1 cup brown sugar
Directions
Night before: Mix together brown sugar, cayenne, cumin, and salt. Rub on roast. Put in crock pot on LOW all night.
Next morning: Add coke, chicken broth, garlic and onions. Keep on LOW until ready to serve. About 1 hour before serving, shred roast and add 1 cup brown sugar. Use in salads, tacos, or burritos.
Serves 12
Next morning: Add coke, chicken broth, garlic and onions. Keep on LOW until ready to serve. About 1 hour before serving, shred roast and add 1 cup brown sugar. Use in salads, tacos, or burritos.
Serves 12
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